5 things Singapore business travellers should know about their mobile and data plans

In the beginning, telcos fixed rates between inbound and outbound calls, with a little extra if such calls were needed to connect overseas.

In the last 20 years, we've seen big disruptions and changes in technology. These changes have varied up the relationship between telcos and their users. From pagers to text messages and smartphones, we have been introduced to the biggest game-changer in the form of mobile technology.

With the world reaching a state of global connectivity, telcos do their best to keep ahead with technology and changes, but how do they keep ahead of the competition?

From exorbitant roaming charges that lead to inflated phone bills and monetising the change in consumer mobile phone habits, we will look at five things Singaporean frequent flyers should know about their mobile and data plans.

1) Most customers don't understand their contracts
With different factors and services that you can be charged for, ranging from calls to text, data and roaming, it's no surprise that a good deal of people just don't know exactly what their telcos are billing them for.

Paul Harrison from Deakin University's Centre for Organisational Health and Consumer Wellbeing mentions that "The contract appears at the end of the sales process when people have committed to buying the product." That being said, as far as due diligence goes, it falls onto the individual consumer to call and understand better a correlation between their mobile habits and bills at the end of the month.

2) Your telco is your new big brother
Speaking of mobile habits, the number of smartphone users has grown substantially from 2014 to 2016. With the convenience and how much we do on our phones, we have an alarming amount of data stored on our phones that can be a good means for companies to know our lifestyle and spending habits. Connectivity works both ways. Seth Demsey, CTO of AOL Platforms, says, “We're talking about linking a household and a billing relationship with a human being.”

3) What 4G means for your data usage
How we use smartphones means telcos have to adjust the way their business models have to cater to our increasing reliance on more data usage. The global market for telco data as a service is potentially worth $24.1 billion this year, on its way to $79 billion in 2020. But just how much data do we need and are our current data plans enough?

Take a look at this list to see just how much data is required just for checking our emails and social media feeds. Faster speeds and higher costs for data in mobile plans means it's easier to go above your limit.

4) Overseas data roaming charges
With how fast and quickly we use data, coupled with exorbitant overseas charges, we do hear of horror stories of blown up phone bills. Though there have been some checks and balances in place for travellers to avoid bill shock, consumers are better protected now. The rates provided can still be considerable, and it's a temporary fix as opposed to a solution.

5) Alternatives for constant connectivity when travelling overseas that fit your budget
You can look at different data packages that fit your usage and surfing style from your telcos. Another solution would lie in prepaid SIM cards to tackle the overseas data roaming issue. However, the process of having to switch out SIM cards and losing your number can be a hassle for the frequent traveller.

There are solutions that are available in the market that address the importance of having affordable, constant connectivity overseas while keeping your mobile number, that have competitive rates.

As always, it is important to understand and examine your mobile phone habits so as to not get overcharged and know what you're paying for.